Court hears that man wrecked house in fury

Courts

Published:15:29Tuesday 30 August 2016

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A MAN wrecked a house in Dervock after he “lost control of himself” when his partner uttered the name of a person she had a relationship with at a time when she and the defendant had previously split up, a court heard.

Stephen James Anderson (51), whose address was given as c/o his solicitor’s office, assaulted the woman and also caused damage of up to £1,000 to the house at McArthur Avenue during a 10.30pm rampage on August 24. Some of the damaged items were his own.

Anderson appeared at Coleraine Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to charges of assaulting the woman and damaging household property belonging to the woman.

A prosecutor said police were told by a woman her partner was inside the house “wrecking the place” and police discovered “copious amounts of damage” including the fridge door being ripped off.

Defence barrister Michael Smith said his client and the woman had been in a relationship for 21 years but they separated five or six years ago and it came to the defendant’s attention his partner was in a relationship with someone else.

He said the couple reconciled and he moved back in to the woman’s house but when “this person’s name was brought up he lost control of himself and turned his anger on the furniture of the house”.

District Judge Liam McNally suspended a five months prison term for two years. He ordered compensation of £500 and imposed a restraining order banning Anderson from going within 500 metres of McArthur Avenue. The defendant is also forbidden to intimidate, harass or pester the woman.